Applied Optoelectronics, Inc. (NASDAQ:AAOI) Short Interest Down 11.9% in January

Applied Optoelectronics, Inc. (NASDAQ:AAOI) was the target of a significant decrease in short interest in the month of January. As of January 15th, there was short interest totalling 8,420,000 shares, a decrease of 11.9% from the December 31st total of 9,560,000 shares. Based on an average daily volume of 3,670,000 shares, the days-to-cover ratio is presently 2.3 days.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several research analysts have recently weighed in on AAOI shares. B. Riley cut shares of Applied Optoelectronics from a “neutral” rating to a “sell” rating and set a $14.00 price objective for the company. in a report on Tuesday, December 10th. Rosenblatt Securities increased their price target on Applied Optoelectronics from $27.50 to $44.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, December 13th. Raymond James lifted their price objective on Applied Optoelectronics from $17.00 to $39.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Friday, December 20th. Northland Securities reissued an “outperform” rating and issued a $40.00 target price (up previously from $25.00) on shares of Applied Optoelectronics in a report on Wednesday, December 18th. Finally, StockNews.com upgraded Applied Optoelectronics to a “sell” rating in a research note on Wednesday, January 22nd. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, one has assigned a hold rating and three have issued a buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $29.20.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Applied Optoelectronics news, insider Hung-Lun (Fred) Chang sold 20,323 shares of Applied Optoelectronics stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, November 20th. The shares were sold at an average price of $30.35, for a total value of $616,803.05. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider now directly owns 195,572 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $5,935,610.20. The trade was a 9.41 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. Also, CFO Stefan J. Murry sold 2,298 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, January 21st. The shares were sold at an average price of $35.17, for a total transaction of $80,820.66. Following the sale, the chief financial officer now owns 209,831 shares in the company, valued at approximately $7,379,756.27. The trade was a 1.08 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last quarter, insiders have sold 103,067 shares of company stock worth $3,513,238. 5.40% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Applied Optoelectronics

Institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the stock. Rhumbline Advisers grew its holdings in Applied Optoelectronics by 9.1% during the 4th quarter. Rhumbline Advisers now owns 60,348 shares of the semiconductor company’s stock valued at $2,224,000 after purchasing an additional 5,035 shares during the last quarter. China Universal Asset Management Co. Ltd. bought a new position in shares of Applied Optoelectronics during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $1,124,000. Affinity Wealth Management LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Applied Optoelectronics in the fourth quarter worth approximately $7,965,000. Assenagon Asset Management S.A. bought a new stake in shares of Applied Optoelectronics during the 4th quarter worth approximately $12,731,000. Finally, Virtu Financial LLC bought a new position in Applied Optoelectronics in the 3rd quarter valued at $353,000. 61.72% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Applied Optoelectronics Stock Up 5.8 %

Shares of NASDAQ AAOI opened at $28.07 on Friday. The company has a current ratio of 1.61, a quick ratio of 1.06 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.36. Applied Optoelectronics has a 12-month low of $6.70 and a 12-month high of $44.50. The firm’s 50-day moving average price is $34.51 and its 200-day moving average price is $21.41. The stock has a market capitalization of $1.32 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of -13.63 and a beta of 2.39.

Applied Optoelectronics Company Profile

Applied Optoelectronics, Inc designs, manufactures, and sells fiber-optic networking products in the United States, Taiwan, and China. It offers optical modules, optical filters, lasers, laser components, subassemblies, transmitters and transceivers, turn-key equipment, headend, node, distribution equipment, and amplifiers.